IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkott announced on Tuesday, 29 Sivan that military rabbonim will continue to take part in swearing-in ceremonies held at the Kosel. The military commander was appearing at a session of the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee. The commander explained there is no change in the existing policy regarding the military Rabbinate.
When asked to comment about a Givati Brigade swearing-in ceremony at the Kosel last week in which on the Chief Education Officer was present and not IDF Chief Rabbi Brigadier-General Rafi Peretz, Eizenkott explained the chief rabbi was not there for technical reasons and this did not reflect current policy.
Chief Rabbi Dovid Lau Shlita has sent a letter to the IDF Commander requesting that he not change the long-standing minhag regarding the presence of rabbonim during ceremonies at the Kosel.
The concerns were raised by recent reports that Eizenkott has instructed appropriate officials to curtail the authority of the military Rabbinate.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
When did they first place the flag outside the Kosel perimeter? Until about 10 or so years ago I never recall seeing a zionist flag there.
As far as the swearing in, they should do it elsewhere, not near the kosel. The kosel isn’t a military playground or a spot where weapons or killing instruments or warriors should be showcasing themselves.
My dear Doc,
First off, the Israeli flag, which represents the Jewish people in Israel and the Israeli nation, has been at the kotel since it was captured, it’s possible you may have missed it but it was always there. Secondly, the reason many of the טקסי השבעה of the IDF go on by the kotel is because it represents the most important thing we as Jews have and it shows the soldiers that. It is not a showcase of warriors nor is it a “military playground” as you put it.
The flag does not represent Jews but rather a political ideology and the State is spawned.